


Moving On (The feeling of Home)

by WinterLioness



Category: Outer Banks (TV)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, mentions of parental abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-06
Updated: 2020-08-06
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:34:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25112452
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WinterLioness/pseuds/WinterLioness
Summary: In the aftermath of the Phantom's demise JJ goes to his father, which leads Kie's (and maybe later Pope's) parents to finally step up and help protect him.Exploring what could be after season 1. Might be multi-chapter.
Relationships: JJ/Kiara (Outer Banks)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 160





	1. Chapter 1

He isn’t sure why he goes home that night. He wants to say that it is because he saw Pope and Kie in their parents arms and was jealous or lonely or whatever. And maybe part of it is that he is just so heartbroken over losing John B. He could probably say that it is because he wanted to face the storm head on, which he knows would make Kie cry and Pope get that look. 

JJ knows the real reason why in the moment between the first hit and the second. I deserve this, his mind whispers. You let me die John B’s voice echoes in agreement. 

Ever since JJ was little he knew that his father had a temper, and sometimes JJ would be so nervous waiting for the next punishment, or so desperate for any attention, that he would act out. JJ doesn’t know if his father has ever felt any emotion besides anger. But in all his years of riling his father up he has never seen him this mad. 

\-----------------

Kie doesn’t remember much of that night. She tries to get her parents to let JJ come with them, doesn’t let up until JJ just shakes his head and pulls her in for a hug. Her father drives while her mom watches her sob in the rearview mirror. She crawls into bed in the same clothes she has been wearing for two days and sobs into her pillow until she eventually falls asleep. 

\---------------------

Pope’s mom won’t let go of him, it makes his skin itch but he finds himself leaning into it anyway. His father tries to talk to him about science, but Pope can’t find it in himself to respond. 

When they get home he throws his awards off his desk and yells until he cries. 

\---------------

JJ tries to avoid Kie and Pope, while Kie is trying to avoid Pope, and Pope is trying to figure out how to put his life back together. 

It might have been easier for JJ to avoid Kie if he could ride his bike, or move. As it is there isn’t much he can do when she is practically banging down his door. 

“JJ! I know you are in there!” He groans, and puts a pillow over his head. “Your dad’s truck isn’t here.” The mention of his father is what makes him get up, trying not to cry at every step as he practically hobbles to the door. 

“What?” He grounds out as he slams the door open from right where she was about to pound her hand against it. She looks startled, then quickly concerned. Her hand that had been raised to knock instead opens and reaches out to touch him. He can’t help the flinch that makes her eyes tear up. When her bottom lip starts to tremble despite her best efforts to look brave he reaches a hand out to cradle her chin softly. “It’s okay.”

“It is NOT okay.” She says, “I can fix you up at my place.” He wants to argue, but he is much too tired to fight her. 

“Yea okay.” He mumbles, and she is really nervous when he doesn’t even shrug off her offer to lean on her or make a joke. Instead they slowly make their way to Kie’s car where she helps him into the passenger seat. She had barely managed to convince her parents to get her car back to her instead of driving it to get fixed up this morning. He doesn’t speak much on the way to hers, but he does let his fingers twine with hers that were resting in between them. 

She curses when she pulls up and her mother’s car is back in the driveway. She had thought she was quick enough to get JJ and maybe sneak him up to her room before her mother got done with her errands. JJ tilts his head towards her, and it makes her nervous how dazed his eyes seem to be. “It’s okay, she is going easy on me right now.” She almost laughs, but the only reason her mom is letting up is because two of her friends are maybe dead. 

He leans on her even more on the way up to her door. “It’s like you are my knight in shining armour.” He jokes, and they both laugh even though it's not that great of a joke, especially by JJ standards. 

“Reversal of standard gender roles.” She teases as she opens her front door. They make it two staggering steps in before her mom is there. 

“Where have you -” Her mom starts “What happened?” She asks them, immediately in JJ’s face. He retreats from her, practically curling up against Kie who is having more and more trouble holding him up. They make it to the couch and he makes a whimpering noise and tries to hold onto her hand as she stands up. 

“I’m just gonna go get the first aid kit. Mom can you help?”

\-----------

Her mother follows her into the kitchen.

“I don’t like that he gets himself into these situations and then comes to you.” Her mother is saying and Kie feels angry tears come to her eyes. She doesn’t even realize her hands are shaking until her mom is there, hands covering hers on the first aid box. 

“It’s not his fault.” She croaks out, pulling her hands away to wipe angrily at her eyes. Her mom gives her a look, the one Kie knows means a lecture about how she is too young to understand is coming shortly. 

“Kiara -” Her mom starts, and Kie really really hates that tone.

“It’s his dad.” Kie whispers hashly, and if she wasn’t one second away from tears she would be laughing at the pure look of shock on her mother’s face. She pulls the first aid kit away and leaves her mom standing in the kitchen as she makes her way back to JJ. 

He has tilted his head back on the couch, and he lifts one eye open just enough to confirm it is her when she gets close enough. She sits on the coffee table with her knees between JJ’s, and waits for him to lift his head enough to look at her. 

“We need to get you cleaned up.” She murmurs, hesitates before touching his face. He breathes out at the first touch of her fingers but doesn’t flinch. She cleans each of the cuts, making soothing noises without even realizing it every time he makes a noise. She pauses at his split lip, alcohol pad in one hand while the other holds his head steady. He tilts his head at her and is probably one second away from calling her on her hesitance so she wipes the pad against where the blood has almost covered up the split in his lip. When she is done she gently pushes on each cut to make sure they aren’t bleeding, and he predictably bites at her finger when she touches his split bottom lip again. 

She doesn’t mean to blush or jerk her hand away, but she does both. She quickly looks to the kitchen doorway, where thankfully her mother still hasn’t appeared in. He smirks and she gently pushes her knee against his as payback but his smirk just widens. 

“How’s your chest?” She asks, and he raises his eyebrow. 

“Haven’t you checked me out enough to know that by now?” He jokes, and she just shakes her head in response. 

“JJ.” She warns, glancing at the door and fighting to hide her blush. 

“Can we not?” He asks, looks at the doorway she is also looking at. “She already hates me enough.” 

“She doesn’t know you.” Kie is angry, like saving baby sea turtles angry. Even angrier than when she caught that toron littering on their beach at the start of the summer. She really hates Luke Maybank. JJ lets his hand fall onto one of her knees. 

“I’m going to the restaurant.” Her mother announces from the door, and Kie blushes as she makes room between herself and JJ. “I’ll be back with dinner. Any preferences ?” She is looking at JJ and he looks back and forth between Kie and her mother like he can’t comprehend what is happening. 

“He likes the burgers. Extra fries.” Kie answers for him, and her mom goes to leave. Kie practically runs out to see her as she is getting in her car. “Hey mom!” When her mom looks up at her she lets herself relax into a smile. “Thank you.” 

“I’m going to talk to your father. Then I think we should all talk at dinner.” Kie just waves before making her way back to the couch. JJ has slouched down until he was half laying on the couch and doesn’t even lift his eyelids when she gets closer. 

“Can I take off your shirt now?” She asks, and that makes him open one of his eyes. He quickly reaches out to pinch her arm, “Hey what was that for?!”

“I had to make sure I wasn’t dreaming.” He says with a smirk, and she tries to hold in her smile but it’s a futile effort. 

Together they manage to get his shirt off, and she has to check his face again to make sure he is still alive. His stomach is more black and blue than skin color, and he has cuts on one side of his ribs that his shirt must have stuck to because they are bleeding again. He grabs at one of her arms, gently squeezes it in a way she knows is supposed to reassure her. And that is what makes her cry, and she is thankful his eyes are already closed so he won’t see it. 

She tells him where her hands are about to move and he doesn’t flinch away, barely makes any noise or movement at all. She actually thinks he might have fallen asleep when she gets to cleaning and checking the cuts, until he speaks. “Whiskey bottle.” He murmurs, and she softly curses under her breath. 

When she has checked every bruise, and run out of things she knows how to do medically she starts to recheck them when he grabs at her hand again. 

“Kie.” He sounds both sleepy and on the edge of tears. 

“Yea JJ?” 

“Can we just-“ Instead of finishing his sentence he just tugs on her hands. She quickly understands and curls up behind him as he shifts so she can spoon him against the back of the couch. 

“I’m not hurting you am I?” She asks once she is comfortable. 

“You couldn’t hurt me.” He answers, intertwines their fingers and curls their hands against his heart. She digs her face against his shoulder in an awkward nuzzle that has her blushing but he lets out a sigh. 

\-------------------

She doesn’t remember falling asleep, had meant to stay up to keep an eye on JJ as he slept. But when she wakes up she realizes a few things in quick succession. One they had rolled in their sleep and JJ is now spooning her. Two their legs are in a pretzel shape that will make it almost impossible for her to get up without waking him up. And third - her parents are home and staring at her. Her father clears his throat and JJ jumps up and puts his body between her and her parents. Once he realizes what is going on, with her hand on his arm to hold him steady, he quickly blushes and grabs for his shirt to cover his bruises. 

“Dinner?” Kie asks, already tugging JJ into the dining room. 

“How are you feeling JJ?” Her mom asks, and JJ smirks in a way that Kie has come to learn means trouble. 

“You should see the other guy. I mean if you think this -” He gestures to his face “Looks bad.”

“I told her.” Kie says, winces at the look of betrayal on JJ’s face. She already has her hand reaching out to stop him from leaving. 

“It’s fine.” JJ is saying, before he knows it. An old practiced dance. “She doesn’t know what she is talking about, he was just mad about the boat, and -”

“JJ” She whispers, he immediately stops his rambling.

“I’m fine.” He reminds her, ignoring her parents still concerned looks, and the food that is getting colder by the second. He grabs her hand, “Don’t cry.” He pleads. 

“Can’t help it.” She says, giving him a reassuring smile. 

“JJ.” Her father is saying. “We want to get you the help you need.” 

“I don’t need help.” He insists. Practically growling and snapping his teeth. 

“In the meantime we thought you might like to stay here, or with the Haywards.”

“I’m fine on my own.” 

“JJ, please.” Kie says, “Just let them help.”

“I don’t-”

“I know!” She yells, flinching at her own voice. He lets himself fall back against the chair at her raised voice. “I know you think you are okay. But this isn’t okay.” She is gesturing to the bruises and he crosses his arms. “I’m not letting you go back there.”

“I don’t want to leave.” He responds, and she hasn’t heard him sound so small. “CPS isn’t… I can’t” He emphasizes the can’t and she can see the tears gathering in his eyes. She lets herself hug him, and he pushes his head against her stomach. She looks over to her parents, who are both watching with wide sad eyes. 

“You can stay here for tonight.” Her dad says. 

“We can figure everything out tomorrow.” Her mom echoes. 

The rest of dinner is awkward and JJ makes this face when he is trying to eat, but he steals some fries off her plate and that makes them both smile. 

\---------------------

They get JJ settled in the guest room, and her parents share a look before going to bed. 

“Big John tried to help once.” JJ says, when they are alone. She sat on the bed and he curled up against her so his head was on her lap. She let her hands fall to his wavy hair, and he seems to relax the longer her fingers are combing against his head or easing the tension across his scalp. “My dad.” He pauses, and she has to concentrate on not making her hands change their speed. “He was in jail, and they didn’t know my mom was gone. The home they put me in…” He stiffens up and she tugs on his hair gently so he will look at her. 

“I won’t let anything happen to you.” She promises, and normally he would argue with her. You can’t control everything, he would tease. This time he lets it soothe him. Maybe because she sounds so sure, or maybe just because he can hear that she cares. 

\------------------

JJ wakes up from a nightmare to Kie’s hand still in his hair and her fast asleep sitting up against the headboard. He tries to readjust without waking her but her eyes jolt open when he is trying to get her to lay down fully. 

“Hey.” He murmurs softly, and her eyes go sad and she bites her lip. “Woah, woah. What’s wrong?”

She shakes her head and just curls against his side with her face in his shoulder. He curls around her, murmurs softly against her head. He just holds her tighter as she tries to control her tears. It takes what feels like hours for her to calm down, and he has to fight every instinct to push her on what is wrong. 

“Bad dream?” He finally asks when she seems to be relaxing.

“No.” She is tracing patterns across his chest, her fingers barely brushing against his shirt. “Good dream. Just forgot everything for a minute.” He holds her tighter, and she laughs as he half rolls on top of her. 

“They might not be dead.” He whispers against her collar bone, and she feels the shiver down to her toes. 

“Maybe.” She says, lets her hand find his hair. “I’m glad you didn’t get on that boat, I thought you might all day.”

“He didn’t ask.” JJ tells her, uses the better of his two arms to lift himself up enough to look at her. “I think he is alive. I think they both are.”

“I hope so.” She bites her lip, like that will hold back the tears. He must see them anyway because he pulls her in against his chest, rolling them both so he can curl himself around her as much as possible as she cries into his chest. 

\-----------------

He wakes up first, probably because the pain meds wore off, judging by the massive amount of pain he is in. He can’t bring himself to care all that much when Kie is sprawled out next to him, one of her legs tangled between his, arm thrown across his chest, and head on the pillow so close to his that if he turned his head even the tiniest bit their noses would be touching. 

He couldn’t count the number of times he had woken up like this, usually with Pope or John B also in the bed. Pope slept like the dead, stayed in basically the same position all night. John B tended to cuddle up to anyone and anything near him. And well JJ didn’t sleep well, usually he slept curled up at him, his back to the wall. At the Chateau, or onboard the Pogue, or even on the beach he tended to become a pillow pretty quickly. And Kie always, without fail, took up space. Like even in her sleep she knew her worth. It often ended with Pope, and sometimes even John B on the floor. 

He relaxes back into the feeling of home, the feeling of family, he only usually got when he was sandwiched between at least two of his three favorite people in the world.


	2. Chapter 2

Kie’s shirt has ridden up, and his fingers start to map the expanse of smooth skin before he can tell himself that is a bad idea. And it is no where near the worst idea he has had lately, but it also isn’t a very good one. Her nose does an adorable little scrunch and she lets out the tiniest whimper/sigh before her eyelids are fluttering open. He stills his hand. 

“What time is it?” Her voice is muffled against the pillow.

“Not sure, early.” 

“My parents will probably be up soon.” He tenses at that, and she lifts her head enough to look at him. “I’m not sorry I told them.” She tightens her hold on him until he relaxes back against the pillow. He doesn’t respond but he doesn’t pull away either. 

They stay curled up together until they can hear her parents moving about and she kisses his forehead before sneaking back to her room. 

Thankfully she has enough stolen clothes from the boys that he can shower and wear something clean. It’s Pope’s joggers from when his dad insisted a sport would look good on college applications, and an old surf competition shirt that was probably Big John’s at some point. And a sweater that JJ had found after a party and claimed as his. (Kie had brought him a warmer one and stolen it at the end of last summer). All of their wardrobes are like this, clothes picked up from each other after surfing or from being thrown in a pile together on the boat. He uses the shower in Kie’s room - manages to only snoop a little while the shower is turning on. 

When he comes out of the shower Kie is scrolling on her phone lounged across her ridiculously large bed. 

“How come we slept in the small bed if this was an option?” He asks, flops himself down and mostly on top of her. Hooks his chin over her shoulder to look at her phone. 

“My father would not have been happy.” She says, “They said breakfast will be ready in a few.”

He winces, tucks his face against her hair as his stomach growls. 

\----

Her parents are moving around the kitchen, an effortless dance, as they serve up food. Kie leaves his side to steal a piece of bacon, snatching it away just before her dad pretend smacks where her hand was with the spatula in his hand. She rolls her eyes for JJ’s benefit then tosses him half the piece of bacon. 

“Kiara set the table please. And JJ sit down before you fall over dear.” Kie’s mom is saying, and Kie nods towards the chair before grabbing the plates and such. 

“I can -” JJ starts to say, only to be cut off by Kie.

“Nope.” She puts the things in her hand down then pushes on his arm and shoulder until he is sitting. 

Kie joins in with her parents in a way that he knows, used to the way she moves through her day. It’s the confidence she shows when he is hanging around while she works, hoping for free fries as she rolls her eyes over her shoulder at him. The way she steers the boat and dances to the music she always has on. He has never really been jealous of her relationship with her parents before, always preferred Big John’s parenting style to the way her and Pope always complained about their overbearing parents. 

They set the table, laying out what seems like endless plates of food. They talk about meaningless things while they eat, about the surf and how the restaurant is doing. After they have all stopped eating and no one moves JJ starts looking for exit strategies. 

“We talked some this morning and last night and we both agree that we aren’t comfortable with you going back to that house, however if you choose that for yourself we are going to ask you to not contact Kiara.”

“Mom!” JJ’s leg is tapping, and he flinches as Kie jumps up next to him. 

“Kiara, honestly, sit down.” She glares at her mom, but falls back into her seat. 

“We want to offer you a room here, and we spoke to the Heywards this morning and they also said they would make room, so you have safe options. We do have some concerns that we would like to discuss.” They are all looking at him now, and Kie rests her leg against his. The silent comfort the Pogues all hand out to each other without a second thought. 

“Our biggest concern is I’m not sure if it would be appropriate for our teenage daughter’s boyfriend to move in.” Her dad says, and JJ goes still. 

“He isn’t - I mean we aren’t- ” Kie is stumbling over her words and JJ wants to smirk at her but is too busy avoiding eye contact with everyone. Kie watches as her parents exchange a look, and she kicks at JJ’s leg softly. 

“Well we have some ground rules if you want to stay here. No being in each other’s rooms with the door closed. JJ you can start helping out at the restaurant, for a fair wage of course. No drugs or drinking or parties. And we thought it would be a good idea to try some therapy, considering the past few months.”

Kie and JJ stay silent, but she hugs her parents when they get up. 

“We have to get to the restaurant, Mr. Hayward said Pope would be at home today if you guys want a ride over there on our way.”

“Can I take my car?” Kie asks. JJ tones out while her parent’s discuss with her - eventually allowing her to take her mom’s car until her car can get fixed. 

\------------------

They retreat to her room while her parents get ready and leave, and JJ fidgets around until the front door shuts and he feels comfortable flopping down on her bed next to her. 

“Will you stay here?” Kie asks, turns just enough to look at him.

“It’s too much.” He says and she scoffs. 

“With Pope then?” She asks, and he just shrugs. Normally she would argue, but she figures having Pope on her side later will help. “Just promise me you won’t go back.”

“Kie…” He whispers, throws his arm over his eyes. 

“Promise me.”

“He’s my dad.” She cries at the heartbreak in his voice. Slowly moves over to curl against his side, and he moves to tuck his head against her shoulder. 

She holds him while he cries, lets her own tears fall as she murmurs soothing words and noises against his temple. 

\-----

“I think I fucked up.” Kie says later, they are still mostly cuddling on her bed not talking. JJ has been tapping a rhythm against her hip, and when he got bored of that he started braiding her hair. His fingers don’t stop until she pulls away to flop on her back. When he doesn’t ask she sighs and elaborates “With Pope.”

“Why?”   
“He told me he loved me.” She hates that she has to take a breath, forcing it out past her sticky throat. “Everything was happening at once and he looked at me like he didn’t even know me. I thought -” She doesn’t finish, lets his hand grip hers. 

The thing about Kie is she had refused to fall into gender stereotypes, she doesn’t clean or do the boy’s dishes at the Chateau. She only takes her fair turn of cooking days. She fixes the boat and gives as much effort as the rest of them. But she is usually the first one in with a first-aid kit, rolling her eyes when they call her mom. And she is always the one to pull them back together. (Usually by yelling at them to get over their toxic masculinity or whatever). It felt a little too natural to pull Pope in, to be the one fixing everything.

“I don’t know what to do.” She admits.

\---------------------

She drives her mom’s car carefully, and JJ delightfully tells her that she drives like Pope, or his grandmother. He plays with all the fancy buttons - asking what each one does after he presses it. She pretends to be annoyed but laughs as he fiddles with the stereo and seat heaters. 

When she parks the car he gives her a look before taking off for the door. She is just out of the car when she hears Pope’s high pitched shriek and JJ’s laughter. 

When she makes her way inside JJ has Pope in a headlock and they both look at her in the doorway. She gives an awkward little wave, and Pope smiles at her before JJ releases him. 

They go up to Pope’s room, he is the only one of them to have a gaming system and he rolls his eyes as JJ and Kie argue over what game to play. They pass the time hitting elbows and fake pushing each other as they play. 

JJ pauses the game and goes off in the search of food, and Kie makes a face when he asks if she wants anything. Pope stays quiet, and Kie resists the urge to run from the awkwardness. When they can hear JJ jump the last few steps of the stairs Pope turns to her. 

“Are we going to talk about it?” He asks, and she winces. “You’ve been avoiding my messages, I know that can’t be good.”

“I’m sorry.” She offers, bites her lip. She has thought of this conversation a thousand times, mostly to avoid thinking about the boat and the water and the feeling of drowning before John B and JJ had pulled her from the water when she was first learning to surf. She opens her eyes to look at Pope, instead of the way Sarah had looked freshman year when they would sit under the water to see who could hold their breath longer. Sarah’s golden hair made a halo around her. 

“Are you?” He snaps, and she glares at him. “What are you sorry for? Kissing John B? Kissing me? Have you kissed JJ yet?”

“Don’t.” She warns, stands up to interrupt his pacing. “I’m sorry I hurt you, but don’t bring them into this.”

“You're the one that showed up with JJ, after ignoring my texts and calls for days! You guys left me alone to deal with -” He gestures his hand around, and she isn’t sure what he was gesturing to, but knows what about. They are doing their best to get along and pretend everything was normal but their friends might still be dead, and even if they are alive there is a large possibility they will be arrested as soon as they are found. 

“JJ went to his dads.” She whispers, glances at the door. Debates what else to say, not wanting to betray his confidence anymore then she has to. “Our parents know now, my parents offered him the guest room, but said they’d talk to your parents about other options if he wanted them.”

“Shit.” Pope sits heavily on his bed. She sits on the beanbag chair she had abandoned earlier, leans her back against the bed near him. 

“The reason I made that no macking rule is so we wouldn’t ever be like this.” She says, gesturing to the distance between them. “I knew if we broke it things would get weird.” She leaves out the part where she knew if she picked one of them she would get less of the rest of them, and part of all of them was better. Doesn’t mention how even though she is one of them she is also a girl and how sometimes the two parts of her feel like they are on opposing sides. 

“So you and JJ aren’t?” He doesn’t add a verb and she wonders what one he would pick. Macking? Hooking up? Dating? Interested? She is saved from having to answer by a bag of her favorite chips being tossed in her face. She looks up to see JJ smirking at her. 

“Are you two done with emotions now?” He asks as he picks up his controller. Pope is still looking at her over JJ’s shoulder so she turns back to the game. 

\----------------------

Over dinner Pope’s parents ask JJ if he would like to stay with them, and thankfully don’t take offense when he just shrugs awkwardly. Pope’s mom hugs him and tells him she is sorry she didn’t know sooner. He seems to shrink into Pope and Kie, let’s them do most of the talking till the awkwardness is over then is just as loud as ever. 

Mr. Heyward rolls his eyes good naturedly as JJ tries to get him into a chugging contest, water of course. 

“Son, I’m long past those days.” He jokes, and JJ is smiling. Mrs. Heyward seems relieved, whether it is because JJ is whole in front of her, despite the visible bruises and hoodie in the summer, or because Pope is smiling for the first time in days. 

“You don’t look a day over eighteen Mr. Heyward.” Kie tells him, and he shakes his head at her. 

“You kids will be the death of me.” The smile falls off of Pope’s face and Mrs. Heyward turns to glare at her husband. “I didn’t mean -”

“It’s fine.” JJ says, bumps his shoulder against Pope’s. They exchange a look before JJ is pulling Pope into his side. “I bet you have some of that good ice cream in that nice kitchen of yours.” This is directed at Mrs. Heyward who looks pleased at having a task. 

Pope gets up to help his mom, and Mr. Heyward seems to be considering his word choice looking over at the kitchen doorway. Kie kicks at JJ’s leg under the table until he wraps his calf against hers. 

“I wanted to say thank you.” Both of them tilt their heads at him, and Kie would normally tease JJ for looking like a puppy, “I know what you did with the cops.” He says looking at JJ and JJ looks towards the kitchen quickly. 

“It was my fault.” He says, winces when Kie kicks at his shin. 

“My son is mature enough to make his own decisions.”

“But Black people, especially boys face -” Kie starts to say.

“That’s not why I did it.” JJ says, playing with the specks of food crumbs left on his plate. “Pope is going to get out of this place.” 

“Whatever the reason, thank you. And we will be paying back the restitution, you don’t need to worry about that.” Kie looks pleased, and JJ keeps his eyes trained on her profile, instead of looking towards Pope’s dad. Something about the way her hair curls has always attracted his eyes, each strand a line he couldn’t quite trace. Pope jostles his shoulder as he drops an ice cream bowl down in front of him, extra toppings just how he likes. 

“Now JJ, you are welcome to stay here whenever and for however long, we can get another bed for Pope’s room. When I talked to Anna,” She tilts her head towards Kie, who is eating her ice cream and already watching JJ. “she mentioned some ground rules and we think they should be the same here. No drugs or alcohol, we want you working and going to school.”

\-------------------

So JJ splits his time between the two houses. He stays until just before he gets in trouble then switches houses again. The therapist they drive him an hour once every other week to see tells him he needs to learn how to build healthy relationships, talks to both sets of parents about ways to build trust. 

Of course trust is easier when both parties follow the rules. The rule for JJ ‘parenting’ is no touching without telling, and absolutely no yelling. The main rule for JJ is no sleeping in Kie’s room, especially with the door closed. Both those rules get broken on the same night. 

The thing is JJ and Kie often sneak into each other’s rooms, always making sure to sneak back out before her parents are awake. They have had a couple close calls, but nothing like the random night her father wakes up because of the storm and goes to check on his daughter, who has been having nightmares during every storm, since That Storm. What he finds is the two of them, in almost no clothing despite the chilly winter weather, sound asleep on her bed. 

JJ wakes up first, and quickly distengles himself, which wakes up Kie. She pulls on a t-shirt over her sports bra, and crosses her arms defiantly. Her father looks wholly unimpressed with the entire situation. 

“Dad-” Kie is saying, and JJ stays still as she moves, almost scarily still. 

“I don’t want to hear it.” Mike snaps at her, and she is never one to back down from a challenge. JJ goes to hold her back just a second too late.

“Why do you always expect the worst from me?” Kie is saying, and when she complained about this to JJ - about how she was never enough and was also too much for her parents - she had tears in her eyes and her breath caught. Now her voice is all steel. 

“I just don’t understand why -” He cuts himself off, sighs and rubs a hand over his face. 

“Why what?” Kie says, and JJ flinches at the tone. Knows she is about to raise her voice just before she does. “Why what dad?”

“You are so ungrateful! Always trying to throw away everything your mom and I have worked for!”

“That’s not fa-” She starts to stay, takes a step back towards JJ.

“And why does he always have to be making trouble?!” This is directed towards JJ but it’s Kie who flinches. 

“Dad! Stop!!” 

“Don’t raise your voice at me!” He shouts back, and JJ is getting up now. He sees Kie’s mom in the doorway, lets his shoulder bump Kie’s as he stands next to her. 

“Can this not wait till morning?” Her mom says, puts her hand on Mike’s shoulder. 

“Well we obviously can’t trust these two to stay in their rooms.” He says. 

“Kie..” Her mom turns to her, and Kie steps back so the hand falls between them. “Why do you have to be so difficult?”

“I’m not being difficult!” She bites back, and in a normal circumstance JJ would wrap his hand around her waist to hold her back, would be making a joke to diffuse the situation. He also would be the one to throw the first and last punches with whatever Touron Kie was getting into a fight about littering or microplastics or consent. “You can’t just blame me whenever I’m not who you want me to be.”

“That’s not what this is about.” Her father says, doesn’t even deny the constant battle - mostly between mother and daughter. “It’s about that boy in your bed.”

“That boy.” Kie mocks, leans more against him. He knows it’s to comfort him - but every part of him just wants to run away from it all. He has never liked spending time around Pope’s or Kie’s parents for this reason. Cared less about what they called him, more affected by them getting into fights with their parents over him. “That boy.” She repeats. “You mean JJ, the same boy who carried me home after I almost drowned last summer? The same boy that took the fall for Pope? You mean the boy who came in here to check on me, even though he had his own nightmares and he lost more that night than I can even imagine?”

“Kie, it’s fine.” JJ says finally, and Kie snaps her head towards him. 

“No! It’s not fine!” Kie cries, “It’s not fine that your father beat you so often that you thought it was your fault! And it’s not fine that John B -” She chokes on a sob “and Sarah.” She lets him pull her into a hug. He looks at her parents with wide eyes, holds her even as she shakes against his chest. After a few awkward moments her mom mumbles something about hot chocolate, and they find themselves with a new storm tradition of toasting marshmallows for their hot chocolate and turning on music to drown out the storm. 

\--------------------------

Things settle down after that, JJ stops shying away from the adults, Kie’s parents get her in therapy as well, with a different therapist down the hall from his. They manage to get their appointments during the same day, sometimes at the same time and sometimes with enough time between to go shopping or get food on the mainland. 

They don’t talk much about what is said during these appointments, they joke with Pope about a 3 for 1 deal. 

Sometimes one of Pope’s parents takes them and he goes to talk business so the three of them get hours to explore somewhere other than the island. JJ finds a surfboard shop that sells locally made or locally painted surfboards and mutters about rich Kooks, but he gravitates back towards it every time. Kie drags them to a vegan cafe where everyone has dyed hair and laptops with ‘save the bees’ stickers. Pope somehow convinces them that a new museum would be a good way to spend some time, and JJ only gets them kicked out of a few of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope y'all liked this one, I have already started the next chapter... I also have some random convos or scenes saved in my drafts that might get thrown into a story or posted at some point. 
> 
> I want to write more Pope and JJ scenes - and of course John B and Sarah have to come back eventually? Not sure yet. I kinda want to write a quick one shot of it being like 5 years later and JJ and Kie r on their honeymoon or something and they just run into Sarah and John B after thinking they were dead? 
> 
> Anyway I should have chapter 3 up next week. I am doing something a little different and just writing then editing every other day and when I reread (to edit) I am finding good spots to end the chapter. Which means I usually have part of the next chapter written. We shall see if it helps me stay on this story.


	3. Chapter 3

Kie was always a little bit of a mystery to the boys. She cared about things they couldn’t even comprehend yet when they were younger. She lived in a fancy, or at least fancier, house then them, or any of their friends. She chose them, despite having so many other options. 

And sometimes she disappeared for a few days, coming back complaining of dress fittings or other things the boys really didn’t know anything about.

Then JJ moves in and one day Kie doesn’t come down for breakfast. JJ is always the first one up, used to sneaking out before his father got up or wandered back home after crashing somewhere else. He also really loved that first surf where he could have his pick of beaches before families with screaming kids laid claim to them. 

Kie normally came down sometime around when he was pouring the coffee. He didn’t have to drag her down the stairs like he did with Pope, so it was weird enough for him to sneak glances at the stairs while her mom tried to talk to him. 

Her parents had been very unimpressed with him when they learned he didn’t have many ambitions, hadn’t known what to talk about with him. Mike at least surfed, so that was always a safe go-to topic. On the other hand Anna struggled, not comfortable with silences, and not very comfortable with JJ either. Eventually she gives up trying to talk about food, or the weather, or whatever he was tuning out. 

“Kiara gets like this sometimes.” She says, folds a hand on his arm that has his entire body tensing before he forces himself to relax. 

“Like what?” He asks, lets her comfort herself by trying to comfort him. 

She sighs, “Her previous therapist said it was bipolar depression, it runs on my side of the family. We got lucky, she has more good days.”

“Oh.” He says, like he understands, which he very much does not. His family dealt with things a lot differently, like hitting their children instead of going to therapy. 

“I took the day off, going to finally get this kitchen cleaned up.” It must be a joke, their kitchen is always sparkling, if he didn’t see and eat all the meals from this kitchen he would think they never cooked in it. “I’ll keep an eye on her, why don’t you go see Pope?” 

He nods, knows it’s the right answer as she smiles. He heads upstairs after he finishes eating, heads straight towards Kie’s room. She doesn’t respond as he slips inside, just turns away from the light that floods in from the hallway. He shuts the door behind him, waits a minute for his eyes to adjust. 

She barely moves when he sits next to her, only acknowledging him by pulling his arm around her. 

“Do you want me here?” She doesn’t respond, which he figures he can just stick around until she kicks him out. 

They don’t talk. Eventually he sits up and she curls against him as he braids at her hair. That’s how her mom finds them some hours later. She doesn’t say anything about the closed door, just raises her eyebrows slightly. Even JJ can read the hint of relief in her face.

\--------------------

It takes a day and a half for Kie to smile, two full days before she reaches over to turn on the light, and three days for her to leave her room. 

JJ goes surfing while her parents are home, shakes his wet hair on her like a dog, and showers before her parents leave. Kie tells him about the aunt she never knew, whispers about how she hates scaring her mom. Says it’s like she is too much and not enough all at the same time. 

On the fourth day she goes surfing with him, it’s not the best day for it but he is just glad she is out of the house. Later that day they drive into the city, he is driving her newly fixed up car while she fiddles with the radio. They stop and get her favorite ‘guilty pleasure’ of strawberry shortcake donuts, and he doesn’t call her on the phrasing that her doctor had told her was a red herring of eating disordered thoughts. Another late night confession, when she was trying to scare him away as he pulled her closer. 

They park in the closest garage, the one Pope’s dad always mutters about the prices before driving around for blocks. She is uncharastically tense, so he bumps his shoulder against hers and lets her tangle their fingers together. 

“They are going to want to change my meds again.” She confesses, bites her lip. They are at the stairs leading up to the office, and she had pulled him to the side. 

“Okay.” He says, pulls her in closer as people walk by. She lets her head rest against his chest and he wraps his arm around her in a half hug. 

\-------------- 

They celebrate by getting dinner on the mainland, and an old woman walks by as they are having ice cream cones and walking back to the garage. She gushes over what a cute couple they are, and Kie smiles as JJ wraps an arm around her. She used to argue every time someone assumed this about her and one of the boys, but she has long since learned the encounter is quicker and less uncomfortable for everyone if she just went along with it. The woman insists on taking a picture of them, so JJ makes a face for the first one and presses an ice cream sticky kiss to her cheek in the second. 

He drives back, and his hand naturally gravitates towards the center as she joins their hands back together. He pretends not to notice as she sets her lock screen to the second picture of them. 

When they are back on the island she squeezes his hand to get his attention. 

“Thank you.” She says, and he just snorts. 

“No.” He jokes, and she tugs at his hand in retaliation “Hey! I’m driving here!”

“I’m being serious.”

“Yea, I got that.” He says, and then shakes his head. “If we are going to start thanking each other then I have some catching up to do.” 

\-------------------

“Honey, I’m home!” Is the new greeting Pope throws his way as he kicks the door closed behind him. 

JJ had admitted in therapy that he gets anxious with people coming and going. It was never an issue at the Chateau because it had long since been tradition to call out greetings, except for JJ who took pleasure in going through a window just to pop up near John B to hear him shriek. His therapist had suggested he talk about it, that it was something easy other people could do. 

The boys have plans to stay up all night playing video games before catching up with Kie to surf at first light. JJ had convinced Pope by telling him it was to get him back into the practice of all-nighters since school was supposed to be starting up soon. 

“How was work?” JJ asks, from half on the counter. He doesn’t even look guilty about trying to find the cookies that Pope’s mom insists aren’t in the house. She always has some ready for him when he is sneaking back in from a smoke if he can’t sleep at night. 

“Dude” Pope groans, shakes his head. “My mom isn’t going to hide them where you can find them.”

“So probably not in the kitchen?” He asks, before jumping down in one motion. JJ has this fluidity about them that has always mesmerized Pope, while also terrifying him. 

“Don’t even -” Pope starts but JJ is already looking mischievous in a way that never bodes well for Pope. 

“You know I bet she has hiding spots in her room.”

“No. nope. Not happening.” Pope tries to pull him away from his mission, which results in them scuffling. Pope’s mom happens to come home right as they have each other in headlocks and in their effort to look innocent they go tumbling into a pile. 

“Well I’m glad to see you two haven’t burned down the place.” She teases, bends over to ruffle the hair on both their heads before heading towards her room. “I’ll need your help with dinner tonight.”

For some reason cooking is right up JJ’s alley. Pope usually gets so flustered by trying to do everything perfect that he forgets about a pan on the stove while he is chopping vegetables, or gets so stuck on getting exactly the right amount of each ingredient. JJ flips between tasks quicker than any of the adults can keep up with, but as long as the recipe has enough parts he doesn’t get distracted. It’s become a bit of tradition that JJ will help cook at the Heyward’s house at least one night a week, which means Mrs. Heyward sits at the counter with a glass of wine and directs him around the kitchen. Sometimes, usually with new recipes or techniques, she will show him what she means. Pope usually sits quietly and studies, only lifting his head to try things when JJ holds a spoon or fork out near him. 

They make gumbo, Pope stirs the roux with one hand and holds a book up with the other. JJ chops all the vegetables. 

\--------------

It’s been months. Months since he stole the boat. Months since he last saw his father. Months since his best friend was lost at sea. He’s been doing therapy and has started actually going to all his classes. He is doing good. Better at the least. He still smokes more then either set of parents likes, and drinks until the bottle is empty. 

He is doing so well that it’s actually a surprise to Kie and Pope when he doesn’t show up to school one day. He had been in the guest room at Kie’s the night before, had woken up before her to get some surfing in before school. 

“I have a bad feeling.” Kie is saying, as they leave campus. 

“He probably just tried to take a nap and fell asleep.” Pope tells her, tho she can tell he is nervous without even looking at him. “My mom is home, he probably went to yours.”

“Okay, we’ll start there.”

\----------------

JJ’s surfboard is leaning up next to Kie’s and her father’s. The door is unlocked and Kie pauses before making her way up the stairs. She looks outside, shakes her head when she sees JJ sitting in the pool. 

“Hey.” She calls out, gives Pope a look over her shoulder when she spots the bottles littered across the patio. 

“Schools over?” JJ asks, puts the latest beer bottle on the edge of the pool. 

“Lunch.” Pope says, “What’s happening?”

“I’m going to turn out like him.” JJ says, laughs a cruel laugh when Pope and Kie both immediately try to talk. “I drink too much, we all know I have a violent streak.”

“Did you go to see him?” Kie asks, climbs half in the water but JJ pulls himself out the side instead. He shakes Pope off his arm as he passes him. 

“Ran into him, at Jenkin’s.” It’s a little local corner store that has JJ’s favorite muffins he loves to get after he surfs. The owner is a high school dropout that always overcharges Kooks and never cards Pogue teens. 

"Oh, JJ." She doesn't mean to say it, winces at her tone before JJ even throws her the look. Pope is cleaning up bottles and she is still standing on the steps of the pool. The look on his face makes her skin itch.

"He said I'm going to end up like him." He laughs, and it's an ugly sound. He gestures to the bottles and shakes his head. "Guess I can't help it." 

"JJ!" She snaps, stomps over to him despite Pope's noise of protest. "Stop." Her hands are on his arm, where his fingers were digging into his own skin. "You aren't him!" 

"You don't know that!" He is pulling away. 

"You think your going to end up like him? Fine! Then hit me!" She doesn't let him get far, invades his space. It's one of the few JJ rules the Pogues don't break. She shoves at his chest when he doesn't respond. Pope's arms are around her waist, trying to pull her away. “Hit me JJ!”

"I'm not going to hit you." He sits heavily on one of her mother's special pool chairs that aren’t supposed to get wet. 

"I know! Because you are nothing like him! God JJ you are amazing and it kills me that you can't see it." She pushes Pope's arm away and angirly wipes at her tears. She sits in the seat next to JJ’s so their knees are touching. 

“Promise me.” JJ whispers, and she reaches out to grasp at his hand. “Promise me you won’t let me hurt you.” He looks at her, then over her shoulder to Pope. Kie pulls him into a hug that Pope quickly joins.


End file.
